It’s no secret that Arcade Fire helped create the indie rock N blog world. Funeral is still one of my favorite records ever made. I know the new album has leaked, but I’ve conscienciously stayed away from the leaked files. You can stream it and see some extremely odd videos here, or you can just buy the freakin’ thing when it finally drops. In the meantime, you can hear them live, here.

After a year of (fantastic) re-releases, The Mooney Suzuki have a new record. Have Mercy is the name, and I daresay it’s one of the best studio releases this punk-turned-rock band has every produced. And it’s kind of like two albums in one. It begins with rough, punky rock n’ roll of the ‘60s and ‘70s variety, and then takes a left turn at Nashville and gets down home and almost country. 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of this band’s existence, and they’ve grown into one of the most interesting rock bands around. The album is produced by Kevin Salem and Nick Bolas (Neil Young, CSN), and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes).